George Kell

Played For
Philadelphia Athletics (1943-1946)
Detroit Tigers (1946-1952)
Boston Red Sox (1952-1954)
Chicago White Sox (1954-1956)
Baltimore Orioles (1956-1957)

Minor League Experience
In 1943 with Lancaster (PA) of the Class B Interstate League, Kell batted .396, the highest mark in organized baseball that year. He also paced organized ball in hits (220), runs scored (120), and triples (23).

All-Time Rankings
George Kell ranks #16 among the Top 50 all-time at 3B. Rankings ⇒

Best Season: 1949
Hampered with injuries in September, Kell got hot at the right time, returning to the Tigers' everyday lineup with a flurry of base hits in the final week of the season to win the batting title. He edged Ted Williams, .3429 to .3428, and denied Williams the triple crown.

Factoids
George Kell was named to the All-Star team with four different teams. In 1947, when fans were given the opportunity to select the starting teams for the first time, Kell was voted the third baseman for the American League. In 1950, Kell received more All-Star votes than any other player in either league.

George Kell played all 14 innings of the 1950 All-Star Game, driving in two of the AL's three runs.

George Kell was inducted into both the Arkansas and Michigan Sports Halls of Fame. In 1969, he was named third baseman on the Detroit Tigers All-Time Team in voting by fans.

The 1949 American League Batting Race
In 1949 Ted Williams was poised to become the first man to win three Triple Crowns. He had won the Triple Crown, for leading the league in batting, homers, and RBI, in 1942 and 1947. The latter year was his first season back to baseball after World War II. In 1949 Williams seemed set to duplicate that amazing feat and in the process join Ty Cobb as the only men to win five batting titles. On September 18 Williams clubbed two homers and batted in six runs, taking the AL lead in the three categories. He had a comfortable ten-point lead in the batting race. There were ten games left in his season.

There seemed to be few challenges to Williams claim of his third Triple Crown. Detroit's George Kell languished ten points behind on September 23, when he returned to the Tiger lineup after jamming his thumb ten days prior. Kell stroked two hits in three at-bats and raised his average a single point to .342, still far from the Red Sox leader.

That same weekend, Williams blasted two home runs against the Yankees in Fenway Park. The Red Sox and Yanks were in a tight battle for the pennant. After winning their third straight game against New York, the Red Sox were in first place.

While Detroit had four off-days leading up to the final weekend of the season, the Red Sox played a pair in Washington and two more in New York. Williams went 2-for-12 in those four games, including a slew of walks. As always, Williams refused to chase questionable pitches. His selection would ultimately cost him.

On Friday, Williams went hitless against Bob Feller and the Indians, dropping his average to .346. In Detroit, Kell went 1-for-2 on Saturday as Williams was collared against the Yanks. Going into the final day, Kell trailed .344 to .341. The Yanks and Red Sox were deadlocked for the AL lead.

Kell came to the park on that final day with a chance to win the batting title - something he never would have thought possible just a week before. Williams walked in his first at-bat against the Yanks. He then popped out twice before batting for the final time in the ninth inning. With the Yanks leading 5-0 and three outs from the pennant, Williams walked. The Red Sox rallied to score three runs before Birdie Tebbetts fouled out to end the season and give New York the AL flag. Williams had went 0-for-2 with two walks. His walks had helped his team stay in the game, but had not helped his triple crown chances.

In Detroit, Kell singled in his first at-bat against Bob Lemon. In his second chance he doubled off Lemon. In the sixth Kell was walked by Bob Feller (why Feller was relieving we do not know!), and in the seventh he flied out. In the ninth Kell was scheduled to bat fourth. Neither he or his teammates knew if he was ahead or behind in the batting race. But his manager did. Red Rolfe had assigned a Detroit Free Press sportswriter to stay on the phone with reporters in New York and report down to the Tiger dugout on the status of Williams.

With Kell in the on-deck circle in the ninth, Rolfe received word that Williams and Kell were tied for the batting title but that Kell would win by less than two thousands of a point. But if Kell batted and made an out - he would lose. Rolfe prepared to use a pinch-hitter, but Eddie Lake bounced into a game-ending and season-ending double play and rendered the move moot. Kell had won with a mark of .3429 to Williams' .34275.

Kell had not backed into the batting race at all. In his final three games he went 3-for-8. In four games he played with a sore thumb he was 5-for-11. It wasn't until the off season that he learned Rolfe was not going to let him bat in the ninth. Williams was denied his third Triple Crown. He would win three more batting titles but he would never again lead his league in homers or RBI.

Where He Played
Kell was an excellent fielding third baseman, the best in the AL until Brooks Robinson replaced him with the Orioles in 1958. Kell led AL third baseman seven times in fielding and four times each in assists and total chances per game.

Born
George Clyde Kell was born on August 23, 1922, in Swifton, AR.

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  3B

Primary Team:  DET

College:  Arkansas State

Major League Debut
September 28, 1943 ... After a stellar season with Lancaster (he batted .396), Kell was purchased by Connie Mack for $20,000. He debuted on the last day of the regular season and sliced an RBI-triple down the right field line in his first big league at-bat.

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1943
Gil Hodges
George Kell
Andy Pafko
Gene Woodling
Andy Seminick
Cass Michaels
Eddie Stanky
Snuffy Stirnweiss
Mickey Haefner

Similar Players
Brooks Robinson and Bill Madlock... Kell likely wasn't quite as a good a fielder as Robinson nor as good a hitter as Madlock, but he wasn't far off, which is a good combination at third base.

Related Players
Ted Williams... Billy Goodman bested Kell for the 1950 batting title, .354 to .340... In 1954, all four of the White Sox infielders were named to the All-Star team: Ferris Fain, Nellie Fox, Chico Carrasquel, and Kell.

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1964 BBWAA 33 16.4% 1964 Run Off 8 3.6% 1966 BBWAA 29 9.6% 1967 BBWAA 40 13.7% 1967 Run Off 11 3.6% 1968 BBWAA 47 16.6% 1969 BBWAA 60 17.6% 1970 BBWAA 90 30.0% 1971 BBWAA 105 29.2% 1972 BBWAA 115 29.0% 1973 BBWAA 114 30.0% 1974 BBWAA 94 25.8% 1975 BBWAA 114 31.5% 1976 BBWAA 129 33.2% 1977 BBWAA 141 36.8% 1983 Veterans %

Batting Feats

• September 20, 1946: 6 Hits...


• June 2, 1950: Cycle...

Notes
Earned $3,000 in 1944; $5,000 in 1945; $27,500 in 1949; $45,000 in 1950 (highest of any AL infielder)... Kell was elected by the fans to start in the All-Star Game seven times (1947-1951, 1956-1957). He was the runner-up four times (1952-1955).

Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Kell was a beaten and bruised ballplayer in 1948, his sixth season in the major leagues and third with Detroit. Yankees' pitcher Vic Raschi hit Kell in the wrist with a pitch early in the season, and later a Joe DiMaggio line drive to third base fractured Kell's jaw and sidelined him the remainder of the campaign. In all, he missed more than 1/3 of the season but still managed to post his third straight .300 season... In Julyof 1952, Kell was batting .326 and had been voted to the All-Star team, but he injured his right leg when he ran into the stands at Yankee Stadium. He missed two weeks... Kell was batting .457 at the end of April in 1953; he was hitting .415 in May when he suffered a back injury. He was in and out of the lineup the rest of the season, but still led the league in batting at the All-Star break. He finished at .307, 7th in the AL... Suffered injury to his right knee in 1954, and underwent an operation in the off-season.

Transactions
Kell was traded from the A's to the Tigers for outfielder Barney McCosky in May of 1946

Dizzy Trout, Hoot Evers, Walt Dropo, and Johnny Pesky were involved in the trade that sent Kell to the Red Sox in June of 1952.

Matchup Data
Kell considered Bob Feller and Bob Lemon the two toughest pitchers he ever faced.

Trivia Question
Which team originally signed George Kell to a professional contract?

Trivia Answer
The Brooklyn Dodgers signed Kell in 1941.

All-Star Selections
1947 AL
1948 AL
1949 AL
1950 AL
1951 AL
1952 AL
1953 AL
1954 AL
1956 AL
1957 AL

Best Strength as a Player
Defensive range at third base, and his throwing arm. He was also a great contact hitter.

Largest Weakness as a Player
George Kell was in dire need of a publicist. He wasn't flashy. He wasn't boisterous or loud. He didn't make headlines. He didn't make waves, and he wasn't a rah-rah leader-type. He came to the park prepared, worked hard, gave it his all, ran out every groundball, and battled day-in and day-out. What did he get for it? He's considered by many to be a second-rate Hall of Famer, if not unworthy of that honor.In fact, he was the finest defensive third baseman in his league (if not all of baseball) in the late 1940s and into the 1950s, and he won a batting title. He was Derek Jeter at third base, but he never got into the post-season.

Learn More about George Kell
Search Amazon.com for Books about George Kell ⇒
Search for George Kell at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒

Sources used for the George Kell Player Page:
George Kell biography by Jim Rasco